The Art of the Brick Exhibition

Media Invite

(Daddy constructs)

I love LEGO, my boys love LEGO, and I am sure many of you do too. All of us had come into contact with that one brick at some point in our lives and we too know how creativity and imagination knows no bounds when it comes to LEGO.

One man has taken his passion for LEGO bricks one step further and came up with magnificent art sculptures. Masterpieces like this.

Yellow; 11,014 brick count

New York-based artist Nathan Sawaya is a lawyer-turned-artist who uses LEGO bricks as the sole art medium for his works. Nathan's ability to transform LEGO bricks into something new and his devotion to scale and colour perfection, has enabled him to elevate an ordinary toy to the status of fine art.

For the first time in Southeast Asia, Nathan will be showcasing his largest collection of 52 large-scale LEGO

sculptures at ArtScience Museum titled 'The Art of the Brick'.

Touted as one of CNN's 12 Must-see Exhibitions, The Art of the Brick will treat visitors to stunning displays of intricate sculptures made from LEGO bricks from 17 Nov 2012 to 14 April 2013 including a specially-commissioned sculpture of the ArtScience Museum by Nathan.

I had the opportunity to preview the exhibition and my word, it was mind-blowing.

Just take a look at some of the sculptures on display.

Swimmer; 10,980 brick count

Hands; 15,136 brick count

Inside; 2,980 brick count

Square, Triangle & Circle Torsos; 29,409 brick count

There aren't just 3-D sculptures that were on display. Portraits that are formed entirely from LEGO bricks astounded me in a similar manner.

Courtney (Yellow); 3,300 brick count

Nathan had put it quite simply when he said, "There's something delightful about using something that is supposed to be three-dimensional medium as a two-dimensional medium."

And I agree wholeheartedly.

AL; 2,154 brick count

There are a total of 8 distinctive galleries, and the one which intrigued me the most was the Emotion Box.

Aptly named, the gallery features artworks that depict the human form as well as the inner emotions (or demons) that we face and sometimes hide.

Mask; 8,509 brick count

But the most important question has to be - will children enjoy this exhibition?

How does a 6-metre T-Rex skeleton made from 80,020 LEGO bricks sound?

Dinosaur Skeleton; 80,020 brick count

Not only that, there are various work stations throughout the galleries which visitors can experience the creative process which Nathan undertakes before embarking on any sculpture. Just like fashioning a tiny raindrop using LEGO bricks or sketching out a pre-build design.

There is large Activity Space at the end of the exhibition where visitors can partake in various LEGO-related activities. One activity that I reckon my 2 boys would love to try out is the stop-motion workshop. Families can sign up for the workshop and try their hand at creating a 15-second stop-motion film using LEGO figurines. Or families can get creative and produce their own LEGO-inspired artwork to bring home at the Creative Art Workshops.

There is also the Play & Build area where adults and kids alike can build to their hearts' content.

Or visitors can take up the challenge to find their way through a miniature wall-mounted finger maze, made entirely of bricks.

For the more adventurous (and those with thick soles), they can try out the Reflexology path and walk barefoot across the path of bricks!

If none of these captures your fancy, I am sure the opportunity of dressing up as a LEGO Minifig sounds too good to pass up, no?

Okay, I admit. Kids definitely look cuter in that. Which is why I will be bringing my monkies back for another visit! Heh.